Abstract
The process of change at institutions of higher learning requires the use of internal and external skills in a careful, clear and focused manner. Such change is directed by policy and implies the management of partnerships and power relations. In South Africa, there have long been deliberations on the alignment of all training and education institutions with more established institutions of higher education. This includes nursing education. The White Paper on Post-School Training and Education of 2013 set out a strategic framework for this partnership between training institutions and established higher education institutions. The comprehensive four-year nursing diploma that was previously offered was subsequently replaced by a three-year diploma, which is pegged at NQF Level 6 in terms of the R171, as expounded in Government Gazette No. 42774. The three-year diploma enables a registered general nurse to function as a professional who can provide independent services and who has practical job skills, all while adhering to the legal requirements to address pertinent global health concerns.
This study explores and describes the experiences of nursing educators who teach undergraduates following the implementation of a new curriculum at the College of Nursing in Gauteng. The recommendations can help facilitate future curriculum implementation in nursing. A qualitative, descriptive, exploratory and contextual design using a phenomenological approach was used. In-depth focus group were used to collect data from nursing educators who were involved in the implementation of a new curriculum The purpose of the study is to explore and describe the experiences of nurse educators who teach undergraduates during the implementation of a new curriculum (the SANC R171) at a nursing college in Gauteng. at a nursing college in Gauteng. The participants were selected using a purposive sampling technique. The qualitative data were analysed using thematic analysis. The following strategies were used to ensure trustworthiness: credibility, transferability, confirmability, and dependability. The study adhered to the principles of autonomy, beneficence, justice, and non-maleficence to protect the human rights of all the participants. Findings of the study were as follows: One central theme with respect to nurse educators' negative experiences during curriculum implementation at the nursing colleges in Gauteng led to subsequent subthemes. The programme being poorly planned; inadequate management support structure; there is a negative impact on nurse educators' psychological and physiological well-being, and; there is a negative impact on the quality of education on student learning.